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Medical Students - Undergraduate Medical Education

Our faculty provide education to enrich and cultivate integrative medicine skills for medical students and promote the value of treating the whole person. Using evidence-based perspectives, graduates will be able to address and counsel patients in the use of integrative modalities, improving patient care and satisfaction. 

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Medical Student Scholars Program (MSSP)

The MSSP in Integrative & Lifestyle Medicine is designed to broaden students' knowledge and experience in the fields of Integrative medicine and Lifestyle medicine to expand the students' expertise as a future physician and to promote self-care and wellness.

Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine Information Sheet
Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine Informational PPT with Voiceover

Thanks to a generous investment from alumnus Stephen T. Turner, MD, COM75', the Osher Center was able to expand our Medical Student Scholars Program (MSSP) in Integrative & Lifestyle Medicine with three additional students this year.

Meet our MSSP Students
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Nithya Trichy

"I want to improve the health of the community by educating and making healthy food options more affordable for under-resourced populations and, ultimately, alleviate food insecurities."

Education & Experience

  • University of Cincinnati College of Medicine M.D. Candidate | Class of 2026
  • Bachelor of Science in Medical Sciences, Minors/Certificate in Public Health, Nutrition, and Global Health Studies from the University of Cincinnati
  • She currently serves as a Bearcat Mentor and Lead Teacher at New Leaf Kitchen. She also helped develop the Bearcats Food Recovery Network, a public health program in partnership with the University of Cincinnati, to distribute extra food from campus dining locations to communities in need.

What do you hope to gain from participating in the Integrative Medicine MSSP Program?

I hope to learn about the cultural and historical backgrounds behind integrative therapies and the systemic challenges associated with implementing them. Utilizing this knowledge, I will read, learn, and share existing journals focused on current innovations in Lifestyle Medicine and Integrative Health with my colleagues during journal clubs and interest group meetings. After consolidating this information, I aspire to contribute to research oriented around identifying the health disparities that exist within the community and developing effective avenues to address them.

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Megan Knauer

“We must shift medicine to emphasizing prevention and meeting people where they’re at in their journeys. This begins with figuring out what patients can control, and what lifestyle factors are mutable.”

Education & Experience

  • University of Cincinnati College of Medicine M.D. Candidate | Class of 2026
  • Bachelor of Sciences in Medical Utilitarianism from Duke University
  • She also worked as a research assistant and as an intern at Duke University’s healthcare policy center

What do you hope to gain from participating in the Integrative Medicine MSSP Program?

I hope to participate in the integrative medicine MSSP because I want to understand how to incorporate stress management, dietary changes, and every other aspect of holistic care into my practice. Further, I want to make this model of care possible for every patient. Further, I want to make this model of care possible for every patient. I hope that participating in this MSSP program will expose me to the different tools that integrative medicine incorporates, will allow me to make connections with leaders in the field so I can discover where I can be useful in expanding this model, and will teach me to connect with patients in a way that sees each as their story, not as their diagnoses.

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Adam Beucler

"I believe that integrative and lifestyle medicine are the future of preventing disease and lessening pain."

Education & Experience

  • University of Cincinnati College of Medicine M.D. Candidate | Class of 2027
  • Bachelors of Science in Health Sciences from Furman University
  • Volunteering experience working with community members to develop healthy diet and exercise habits as a FitRx coach

What do you hope to gain from participating in the Integrative Medicine MSSP Program?

I believe that integrative and lifestyle medicine are critical in developing a well-rounded and resourceful physician. In an age where chronic disease, polypharmacy, and reactionary procedures lead to high medical expenditures and adverse outcomes for patients, integrative and lifestyle medicine are extremely relevant.

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Katie MacVittie

"I believe healthcare in America needs to shift more to preventative and lifestyle medicine, and I am so excited to be learning more about this approach so early in my medical education"

Education & Experience

  • University of Cincinnati College of Medicine M.D. Candidate | Class of 2027
  • Bachelors of Science in Neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania, Minors in Nutrition Science, Hispanic Studies, and Chemistry
  • Medical Assistant at AIM for Wellbeing, an Integrative Medicine Clinic in Cincinnati, Volunteer at Hospice of Cincinnati

What do you hope to gain from participating in the Integrative Medicine MSSP Program?

I am excited to see how UC brings lifestyle medicine and modalities such as nutrition or acupuncture to patients with chronic disease and those undergoing cancer treatment. I am passionate about becoming a physician trained in Integrative Medicine and utilizing this holistic approach to improve the lives of my future patients.

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Christen Lescallett

“My goal is to learn how to guide patients towards healthy lifestyle improvements that are implementable and change the course of their healthspan”

Education & Experience:

  • University of Cincinnati College of Medicine M.D. Candidate, Class of 2027
  • Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from the Ohio State University
  • Experience as a research assistant studying housing for homeless youth, patient care associate for patients with disabilities, and volunteer at NNEMAP Food Pantry

What do you hope to gain from participating in the Integrative Medicine MSSP program?

I hope to learn more about the field of Integrative Medicine so that I’m more prepared to provide patients with evidence-based options for complementary therapies and lifestyle changes, so that I can provide holistic and preventative care that’s impactful.

NEW Medical School Curriculum Integration: Lifestyle and Integrative Medicine for Everyone (LIME)

The Osher Center for Integrative Health at UC, in partnership with the UC College of Medicine and with support from the Dean’s office, has received grant funding from the Weil Foundation to integrate a new longitudinal wellness thread into the medical school curriculum focused on integrative and lifestyle medicine. This thread will be integrated into existing required coursework for all 1st and 2nd year medical students, transforming the way our medical school is positioned as a leader in advancing integrative and lifestyle medicine education and prevention for the next generation.

This ongoing curriculum revitalization project is being led by an interdisciplinary team including: Kelly Lyle, MHA, MS, education program director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at UC; Mladen Golubic, PhD, MD, medical director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at UC and UC Health Integrative Medicine; Aaron Marshall, PhD, associate professor and medical education faculty for the UC College of Medicine; Pamela Baker, PhD, associate dean of medical education of the UC College of Medicine; Bruce Giffin, PhD associate dean for medical education; and Sian Cotton, PhD, founding director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at UC and the Turner Farm Foundation Endowed Chair.

“The lifestyle and integrative medicine curricular thread will give all medical students a fundamental understanding of the impact that lifestyle choices and complementary practices (acupuncture, meditation etc.) can have on the prevention, treatment and reversal of chronic conditions, while also providing additional, optional offerings for students with a passionate interest in lifestyle and integrative medicine. Ultimately, all levels of interest from our learners will be met,” Dr. Marshall explains.

The integration of integrative and lifestyle medicine evidence-base into the curriculum will expand UC medical students’ breadth of core competencies and evidence-based treatment options to empower them to be at the forefront of an emerging value-based care and prevention model in the approach to chronic disease.

Co-Directors
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Mladen Golubic, MD, PhD, 
medical director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at UC and UC Health Integrative Medicine

Aaron Marshall, PhD
Aaron Marshall, PhD,
associate professor and medical education faculty for the UC College of Medicine

Student Interest Groups & Wellness

Integrative Medicine Medical School Electives

Mind-Body Medicine Fourth Year Elective
Planetary Health and Medicine Online Fourth Year Elective
M3/M4 Narrative Medicine Course

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Contact Us

Osher Center for Integrative
Health

Medical Sciences Building Suite 4358
231 Albert Sabin Way
PO Box 670582 
Cincinnati, OH 45267-0582

Mail Location: 0582
Phone: 513-558-2310
Email: osher.integrative@uc.edu